Three Awards: The Winners of the 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award and the Inaugural LOBA Women Grant Have Been Announced

WETZLAR, Germany, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in: Damir Faizulin won the main Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), Laila AnnMarie Stevens was honored in the Newcomer category, and Valentina Sinis was delighted to receive the LOBA Women Grant. The awards ceremony was once again a highlight of the Celebration of Photography, held on the evening of October 8th at the World of Leica in Wetzlar.

The LOBA, which has been awarded since 1980, is now among the most renowned and highly endowed photography prizes worldwide: the Main Prize LOBA winner is awarded €40,000 and Leica camera equipment worth €10,000, while the winner of the Newcomer Award receives €10,000 and a Leica Q3. The LOBA Women Grant is endowed with €10,000, and the selected applicant also receives a Leica Q3 camera, as well as professional support during the implementation and production period.

Damir Faizulin: Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves
2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award Winner

In his award-winning series, the Russian photographer draws our attention to the nature and way of life in the mountains of Dagestan in the North Caucasus of southern Russia. Faizulin illustrates the threats to the delicate balance between the inhabitants and nature in his images. He documents current developments and the emerging tourism industry, modern architecture and the neglect of established structures and culture, while at the same time celebrating the region's beauty.

Quote from Damir Faizulin: "I first visited Dagestan as a tourist in 2020 and immediately felt a connection to its cultural fabric, the meaning of the moment and my personal interest in the region. I had a strong feeling that the region was about to undergo rapid change, and I wanted to document these developments. This is why, in 2021, I moved to Dagestan to explore the region in greater depth. It's important to me that a photograph does not simplify reality, but rather helps us recognize its complexity."

Laila AnnMarie Stevens: Clayton Sisterhood Project
2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer

The American photographer is inspired by her longing for memories of her ancestors, which is reflected in her black-and-white series examining contemporary queer kinship structures and the continuing legacy of strong, self-confident black women. The focal point of her work is the way of life created by the photographer's two sisters and four nieces, who moved from Queens, New York, to a shared house on a plot in Clayton, North Carolina.

Valentina Sinis: The Last Butterflies
2026/2027 LOBA Women Grant

Winning this award will enable the Italian photographer to continue her long-term project in Iraqi Kurdistan. Her series focuses on Kurdish women who have left their homeland to join the armed resistance. In a new chapter, the photographer will explore how the struggle shapes and transforms ties to land and family, as well as a sense of belonging, through portraits, landscapes and images of abandoned places. The human cost of the female fighters' commitment will also be explored. The results of this new chapter in her body of work will be presented at LOBA next year.

Photographer Valentina Sinis, originally hailing from Italy, lives and works in China, Iraq and Italy. Through her extraordinary work, she sheds light on everyday realities and the lives of people who are not usually covered in the media. Her photographs have already been published in many international newspapers and magazines.

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SOURCE Leica Camera USA